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F1: Brawn says ‘give Lewis a break’

By LJ Hutchins

Sometimes it seems like there’s nothing new under the sun – and the travails of a young driver with a blazing talent for racing are certainly not unfamiliar to Ross Brawn.

The former Ferrari team principal, arguably one of the architects of Michael Schumacher’s greatness, has seen before all the problems currently facing Lewis Hamilton.

And his advice? Prove them wrong on the track, and everything else will take care of itself. Schumi, he says, faced all the same difficulties.

And look what happened to him.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the new Honda supremo said: “The driving is the thing that will carry him through whatever else happens.

“He’s got to focus on his driving, concentrate on that, and everything else will take care of itself.

“We all tend to forget how young he is, and how this is all lots of new experiences for him. I was fortunate enough to be with Michael Schumacher when he went through this learning curve, and it was no different.”

He said that the attention focused on young racers caused them enormous pressure – and that only they could learn how to deal with it.

“No-one can really advise them what they should be doing. So they have to learn the hard way and learn themselves.

“He is really in the spotlight now and will be as long as he has his career. That’s all part and parcel, I’m afraid, of being so talented.”

Brawn said he believed Hamilton is a sure bet for a world championship title – but that he will have his work cut out beating Ferrari this season.

“Ferrari look very tough. He’s certainly capable of being a world champion. It’s a question of how the car goes and how the dice roll.”